Entrepreneurial Passion

If you spend a little time with a group of entrepreneurs you will be struck by the energy that emanates from these people.

They all have it … it is a passion for what they do, a hunger to succeed and a willingness to do what it takes!

Without that enthusiasm it would be easy to give up because success comes only on the back of hard work and perseverance!

“Timing, perseverance, and ten years of trying will eventually make you look like an overnight success.” Biz Stone, Twitter co-founder

I remember listening to an entrepreneur describe some of his experiences a number of years ago. He had a great description for the entrepreneur who is immersed in that start-up period (which can last years) when money is tight, customers are scarce and failure seems imminent. He called it the “raccoon look” … the dark circles around the eyes, and a haunted look that comes from long hours of work, high stress and little sleep. He talked about late nights in airports bumping into other “raccoons’ and the understanding that these were likeminded people.

When we started Eagle I can remember one of my partners asking me how things were going, with a sympathetic look on his face. I answered that things were great, but why was he asking. He told me that in the last several months I seemed to have aged to the point where he thought I looked like my dad!

More than 20 years later I don’t have the challenges of a start up … but I still have the challenges of a changing world and a burning passion for the business. I’m still taking early flights out and late flights back to maximise my time on the road, still staying in “reasonable hotels” and travelling coach to ensure that I don’t develop a taste for the “easy life” … because that is the slippery slope!

“The most dangerous poison is the feeling of achievement. The antidote is to every evening think what can be done better tomorrow.” Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA founder

Owning and running a business requires stamina and when the passion wanes, the hunger is no longer there and you a no longer willing to do whatever it takes … then you are beginning to lose!

There will always be hungry, passionate competitors so successful companies need to stay lean, stay hungry and stay passionate in order to survive for the long term.

So … if you want to be an entrepreneur be aware of the commitment that is needed, not just to get going but to keep going for the long haul!